Commission accepting Elzy Award nominees

3/6/2007

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2007 Emma K. Elzy Award presented by the Mississippi Conference Commission on Religion and Race.

The Elzy Award encourages reconciliation by honoring an individual, group or institution that has shown outstanding achievement in race relations in the state of Mississippi. The award will be presented at the 2007 session of the Mississippi Annual Conference.

This award is given in honor of Elzy, an outstanding laywoman.

A descendant of slaves, Emma Kimp Elzy was born in 1886. She married Charlie Elzy in Pontotoc in 1907. Elzy was a woman of great faith and built her life’s foundation on the teaching of the Methodist church. She was a woman unafraid of hard work. In the mornings she taught five grades at the PontotocColoredSchool until noon and then worked in the cotton fields until sunset. While her husband and children slept at night, she did the laundry for several white families in the community. She was a woman of prayer; when her husband left her and the four children, she relied even more on her faith in God and the church.

Elzy moved to Corinth to teach after she lost her job in Pontotoc. It was there that she joined MountMoriahMethodistChurch. She would remain in Corinth nearly all the rest of her life. Emma died in 1985 age 98. She had been a member of the Methodist church for about 70 years and attended Methodist Conferences for 50 years.

Emma K. Elzy went beyond the norm to bring unity and inclusiveness to the body of Christ. She gave liberally of her time, talent, money and ingenuity to promote better race relations, human relations, church relations and family relations.

Any United Methodist in the Mississippi Conference may submit a nomination for the award. Nominees must have shown outstanding achievement in race relations through the building of interracial relationships, the establishment or operation of a program emphasizing race relations, work beyond the “call of duty” or any other significant activity that promotes reconciliation. Although United Methodists may receive preference, the selection process does not exclude persons or agencies from other denominations or faith traditions. Neither members of the Commission on Religion and Race nor directly related conference staff is eligible for the award.

To nominate an individual, group or institution, submit in writing the biographical/historical information and a letter of endorsement stating why this person should be considered for this award. Send nomination materials by April 15 to Conference Commission on Religion and Race, Attention Lindsey Robinson, P. O. Box 1147, Jackson, MS39215.

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